2012 ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE 2: THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE I. INTROI. INTRO II. DISCIPLESHIP PRINCIPLES IN LUKE 14 1) The disciple is one who strives to live by the principles of Scripture. 2) The disciple is one who is in constant touch with people in need.

3) The disciple trusts the commandments of God are never whimsical or arbitrary but are designed for our best. 4) The disciple understands the paradox of the Kingdom Life. 5) THE DISCIPLE SEEKS THE APPROVAL AND REWARD OF GOD, NOT THE APPRECIATION AND REPAYMENT OF MAN IN ALL HIS SERVICE.  Read Lk 14:12-14.

 One of the great but common temptations that faces a follower of Christ in his serving as a witness for the Lord is to seek the approval of men, whether it is in the form of appreciation and honor or in the form of repayment or reward. ~ Whenever he succumbs to this temptation, he will inevitably compromise his motives in serving the Lord.

~ Once his motives are compromised, he will — whether he intends to or not — end up using the people he is supposed to be serving; he will use them for his own benefit. ~ He will soon enough compromise the way he does ministry to suit his own ends, no longer doing things God’s way, but rather his way. ~ Gal 1:10~ Gal 1:10

~ The disciple of Christ is one then who is willing to serve God and others with the singular motive of pleasing God above all. 6) THE DISCIPLE IS PREOCCUPIED WITH WHAT IS ETERNALLY SIGNIFICANT.  Read Lk 14:  Why would anyone reject an invitation to dine at God’s table?

~ Only if they did not know who was extending the invitation. ~ 1Cor 2:8~ 1Cor 2:8 ~ People today refuse God because they are not aware of who is extending the invitation.  THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER REVEALS THAT A PREOCCUPATION WITH THE INSIGNIFICANT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BRING PRIORITIES INTO PERSPECTIVE.

 Becoming a Christian is free of charge. ~ Eph 2:8-9~ Eph 2:8-9  BUT THERE IS A COST ATTACHED TO BECOMING A DISCIPLE. ~ The cost is to become involved in God’s “thing” rather than our own.  Because the disciple is preoccupied with what is eternally significant, he will adjust his priorities to reflect the priorities of God.

7) THE DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO HAS COUNTED THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST AND IS WILLING TO PAY IT.  Read Lk 14:  Now we begin to talk about the cost. ~ It starts with a willingness to renounce all other loyalties in preference to Jesus Christ. ~ Cf. Num 14; Num 13:32-33~ Cf. Num 14; Num 13:32-33

~ God never promised there would be no giants. ~ One of the first signs of unbelief is an undue concern for the family.  TO BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, I MUST FOLLOW HIM AND DO HIS BIDDING EVEN WHEN IT APPEARS THAT IT WILL COST ME MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER, MY WIFE (OR HUSBAND), MY CHILDREN (cf., Matt 10:37).

~ To drive home the impact of this cost, Jesus uses two graphic illustrations — building a tower and preparing for battle.  Read Lk 14:28. ~ Have you ever started something and failed to finish it? Ever made a promise and failed to keep it? Ever vowed a vow and not fulfilled it? ~ Eccl 5:2, 4-5~ Eccl 5:2, 4-5

 JESUS USED THIS KIND OF SITUATION TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREFULLY COUNTING THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE BEFORE COMMITTING ONESELF. ~ Don’t start something unless you are willing to finish it.

~ But since once you receive Christ in a saving way you become a disciple, the counting of the cost must actually be done before receiving Christ. ~ This implies the importance of sharing the correct gospel. ~ You can apply the counting of the cost to serving the Lord in a particular ministry.

 Note that Jesus said, “is not able to finish.” ~ For the disciple, however, the ability traces back to the will. ~ The ability to be a disciple is ours through the resources of Jesus Christ (2Pet 1:3); the only factor we need to add to the equation is that of our wills.

 The Lord Jesus gave a second illustration on counting the cost: a king going to war.  Matt 16:18 ~ The disciple is called upon to do battle against the massed forces of Satan, to break down the gates of hell and set the prisoners free in Jesus’ name.

~ Jesus promises that when we do battle like this, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. ~ But there is a cost involved in doing battle. ~ The cost you will pay for not being a disciple is infinitely greater than the cost you will pay for being one.

III. THE COST OF NOT BEING A DISCIPLE  Read Lk 14:  Jesus concludes His dissertation on discipleship with this strange Parable of the Savorless Salt. ~ It is an illustration of the believer who refuses to be a disciple.

 Jesus had already told His disciples that they were “the salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13). ~ Salt was a valued item in that day; it was part of a soldier’s pay. ~ Salt is a preservative, and God’s people in this world are helping to retard the growth of evil and decay. ~ Salt is also a purifying agent, an antiseptic that makes things cleaner.

~ Salt gives flavor to things and, most of all, creates thirst.  By our character and conduct, we ought to make others thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that He alone can give.  It is God’s design that every believer be a disciple. ~ But when one goes back on his commitment, he becomes good for nothing.

 When a disciple loses his Christian character, he is “good for nothing” (Matt 5:13) and will eventually be “walked on” (Matt 5:13) by others and bring disgrace to Christ. ~ Discipleship is serious business.~ Discipleship is serious business. ~ If we are not true disciples, we will hinder Jesus’ building of the tower and fighting the war.

~ Oswald Chambers: “There is always an if in connection with discipleship and it implies that we need not [be disciples] unless we like. There is never any compulsion; Jesus does not coerce us. There is only one way of being a disciple, and that is by being devoted to Jesus.”

 If we tell Jesus that we want to take up our cross and follow Him as His disciples, then He wants us to know exactly what we are getting into. ~ He wants to use us as stones for building His church, soldiers for battling His enemies, and salt for bettering His world; and He is looking for quality.

~ He does not ask us to do anything for Him that He has not already done for us.  But to some, Jesus says, “You cannot be My disciples!” ~ Why? Because they will not forsake all for Him, bear shame and reproach for Him, and let their love for Him control them. ~ And they are the losers.~ And they are the losers.

 IN PAYING THE PRICE FOR BEING CHRIST’S DISCIPLE, YOU TOO MUST PURPOSEFULLY DESTROY ALL AVENUES OF RETREAT. ~ Resolve in your heart today that whatever the price for being His follower, you are willing to pay it. ~ Will you be His disciple?~ Will you be His disciple?